#RustCity16 Hidden Treasures: Frolicking In The Attic by Donna MacMeans

My longtime readers should know by now that I love the mini-fiction events; a glimpse into the world, a story by a beloved side character, or an introduction to never before seen action – I love it all and can never get enough. I’m hosting the first Rust City Book Convention here in the Metro Detroit area, and to help spotlight the authors attending, I’ve come up with a fabulous new feature series – Hidden Treasures. I’ve asked the #RustCity16 authors to write a story, featuring any or all of their characters as they discover a new bit of treasure – i.e. at a flea market, up in the attic, tomb-raiding, etc.

With that in mind, let’s see what hidden treasures Donna MacMeans’characters from Charming the Professor, the latest Charm Gates novel, have discovered. ________________________________________________________

Frolicking In The Attic

Madeline grinned at the effortless bond of a six year old and her new puppy frolicking in the attic. Some things even the ripples of time could never change.

Together, they rummaged through boxes of outgrown toys and forgotten clothes. Maddie opened a trunk and caught her breath. A corset lay inside along with a brown toned photograph. They rested on what surely must be a wedding gown. She lifted the corset remembering how she wore such a device that restricted breathing and movement while serving on Queen Isabella’s court. Now, in this modern age, corsets were unheard of. Progress, the professor would call it.

“What’s that?” Kimmy examined the cast aside garment.

“Something ladies used to wear,” Maddie explained absently. Her fingers slipped over the smooth satin and stiff lace of the gown, flooding her with memories of ballrooms where she would have worn something similar and acted from a position of authority.

She examined the brownish photograph, recognizing the bride’s gown as the dress in the truck. The eyes of the professor’s grandmother, the woman downstairs, looked back from the photograph. She was surrounded by her family causing Maddie’s heart to ache. Her own brothers and father were still in 1853. Did they even know she had disappeared? Homesickness buckled her knees, forcing her to collapse on the edge of the trunk.

The photograph glass reflected a shadowy vision of Maddie’s face. She stroked her “modern” hair, no longer the long coiled tresses of 1853. Would her family even recognize her if they could see her now?

Of course, that depended on the professor’s ability to send her back through time. To do that, he’d first have to believe she truly came from 1853 and not simply consign her to a straitjacket.

“Maddie, look at me,” Kimmy squealed. She had managed to slip on the corset, the tiny waist cupping her small hips while the top protruded outward like a funnel. “It’s a puppy pocket!”

She lifted and placed her spaniel pup down the corset front, giggling as the puppy licked her chin. Madeline laughed.

“Kimmy, are you up there?” her father called.

His low sensuous voice made Maddie yearn for what could never be. She imagined his face as the groom and hers as the bride in the photograph. But he was engaged to another and, as his fiancé frequently reminded her, she was just the babysitter.

“Coming!” Kimmy yelled. With a stubby hand holding the squirming pup, she raced for the steps, the long corset laces trailing behind. “Daddy, wait till you see what I made!”

“Careful,” Maddie warned, but she knew the child hadn’t heard. Soon the professor’s laughter drifted up the steps, joined by that of his daughter.

The professor is the key, the words whispered in her thoughts. He’s the way home. Her heart squeezed tight with love and longing. But if he could send her back through time, she wondered, would she dare to go?

___________

Meet Donna MacMeans!

Donna MacMeans writes humorous and intriguing historicals, and paranormals that entice with everything from a Victorian striptease, Japanese shunga, invisibility, and time-travel. Her stories have won many awards including the prestigious Golden Heart from Romance Writers of America, the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award for Historical Love & Laughter, as well as recognition in many regional contests. She teaches workshops across the country on writing and on taxes for writers. (She’s a licensed CPA ? ). Both her books and workshops consistently receive high praise and glowing reviews.

When her fingers aren’t on a keyboard or adding machine, she loves to dance. In fact, she met her husband on a dance floor in Cleveland, Ohio. Married 40+ years, she lives in Columbus, Ohio with two adult children close by and a black cat that loves to attack her ankles. She paints in acrylics, roots for the Ohio State Buckeyes (her alma mater) and periodically creates desserts with copious amounts of alcohol. She’s the Treasurer of the National organization, Romance Writers of America, and a member of Central Ohio Fiction Writers, Northeastern Ohio Romance Writers, and the popular blog group, Romance Bandits. Most important, she’s soon to be a first time Grandmom (yay!). She is always approachable and loves to hear from her readers.

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I am a 30-something SAHM with two adorable boys and a supportive husband who is very tolerant of my reading addiction. I love to read and easily go through about a dozen books a month – well I did before I had kids. Now, not so much. After my first son was born, I began to take my hobby of reviewing a little more serious and started Literary Escapism to help with my sanity. I love to discuss the fabulous novels I’ve read and meeting all the wonderful people in the book blogging community has been amazing.